This Saturday (yes, you read that right: Saturday!) and Sunday night, WWE will air the 36th edition of WrestleMania on pay-per-view and the WWE Network. The larger-than-life spectacle began in 1985, the brainchild of Vincent Kennedy McMahon. McMahon, who had purchased the company from his father several years earlier, had expanded the WWF from a northeast regional territory to a nationwide, and then global, wrestling promotion, gobbling up talent and rival promotions along the way. Emanating from the most famous arena in the world, Madison Square Garden in New York City, the event was the next step in the WWF’s rise to dominating the national wrestling scene. But it was far from a sure thing, as McMahon and his wife Linda gambled the company’s future, as well as their financial well-being, on the success of the event. It was do or die for the WWF.
Of course, as we know now, Mania was a massive success. But it wasn’t until the third installment, WrestleMania III, that the event became a global phenomenon and launched the WWF into the stratosphere. Now, 33 years later, WrestleMania is still going strong (albeit, altered drastically this year due to the coronavirus. It was moved from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, to the WWE’s Performance Center in Orlando. It has also been taped for the first time ever and was performed with no fans in attendance and spread across two nights, also both firsts.). But what are the best and worst WrestleManias in history? Some have been outstanding, historical events. Others, not so much.
Here at Horror Geek Life, we broke down every Mania and ranked each one on a forty-point scale based on four criteria (ten points each): Historical Relevance (did something monumental happen at the event?); Atmosphere (venue, set-up, and crowd); Match Quality (both work rate and card lineup); and Main Event (how did it look on paper and how was it in execution?). We also awarded a bonus point if the event had a classic match (Savage-Steamboat at WrestleMania III, Austin-Hart at WrestleMania 13, etc.). If one or more events had the same score, personal preference served as a tiebreaker. We have broken the list into three parts: 35 through 23, 22 through 11, and 10 through 1.
Without further ado, here is Part 1:
35. WrestleMania 11: Score 11 out of 40
Location: Hartford, CT
Date: April 2, 1995
Attendance: 16,305
Celebrities: Salt-n-Pepa, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Pam Anderson, Jenny McCarthy
Key Matches: Diesel (WWF Champion) vs. Shawn Michaels; Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Lawrence Taylor (Main Event); The Undertaker vs. King Kong Bundy; Bret Hart vs. Bob Backlund (“I Quit” Match)
Apart from a strong Shawn Michaels vs. Diesel match (thanks in large part to Mr. WrestleMania Michaels’ performance), this card, which came to us from Hartford, near the WWF’s headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, is easily the most forgettable of all Manias. The Bam Bam vs. LT main event has not aged well, despite Taylor’s commendable performance for a non-wrestler. The Undertaker’s undefeated streak reached four in a dud of a match against a past-his-prime Bundy and Bret Hart had a so-so match against former champion Bob Backlund after two straight years of headlining WrestleMania.
34. WrestleMania 2: Score 18.5 out of 40
Location(s): Uniondale, NY; Chicago, IL; Los Angeles, CA
Date: April 7, 1986 (Monday)
Attendance: 40,085 combined (16,585: NY; 9,000 Chicago; 14,500: L.A.
Celebrities: Mr. T, Cab Calloway, Joan Rivers, Ricky Schroder, Joe Frazier, Ozzy Osbourne, William “Refrigerator” Perry, Elvira, several others
Key Matches: Hulk Hogan (WWF Champion) vs.King Kong Bundy (Steel Cage, Main Event); “Rowdy” Roddy Piper vs. Mr. T (Boxing Match); Randy “Macho Man” Savage vs. George “The Animal” Steele; WWF vs. NFL Battle Royal
The only WrestleMania to be broadcast from multiple locations (until this year’s edition) and to air on a Monday night (rather than the usual Sunday night), the second Mania was a bit of a mess. It did not have a cohesive feel and suffered from being the poorest worked Mania of all-time. The battle royal, which featured William “Refrigerator” Perry and was won by Andre the Giant, and the Piper vs. Mr. T bout, were spectacles, for sure. But the main event, a solid steel cage match between champion Hogan and challenger Bundy, goes down as one of the most forgettable Mania main events in the program’s history.
33. WrestleMania 9: Score 19 out of 40
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Date: April 4, 1993
Attendance: 16,891
Key Matches: Bret Hart (WWF Champion) vs. Yokozuna (Main Event); Hulk Hogan and Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake vs. Money, Inc. (Ted DiBiase and I.R.S.); The Undertaker vs. Giant Gonzalez
The first WrestleMania to be held outdoors, and the only one to ever be held in Sin City, this Mania is mostly remembered (besides Jim Ross in a toga) for the awful booking decision of having champion Bret “The Hitman” Hart drop the title to challenger Yokozuna, only to have Hogan come down following the match’s conclusion and pin Yoko in less than a minute in an impromptu championship match. Fans had had quite enough of Hogan’s superhero antics by this point and were ready for Hart to ascend to the mantle of being the top guy in the company. Hogan would leave the WWF less than six months later.
32. WrestleMania 27: Score 20.5 out of 40
Location: Atlanta, GA
Date: April 3, 2011
Attendance: 71,617
Key Matches: The Miz (WWE Champion) vs. John Cena (Main Event); The Undertaker vs. Triple H (No Holds Barred match); Edge (World Champion) vs. Alberto Del Rio; Randy Orton vs. CM Punk
The first (and only) Mania to be held in Atlanta, this one featured the return of The Rock to WrestleMania after a seven-year layoff, albeit in a non-wrestling role as the host of WrestleMania. The main event saw WWF Champion The Miz battle John Cena with some involvement from The Rock leading to a surprise Miz win. Elsewhere on the card, The Undertaker’s streak rose to 19-0 following a tremendous No Holds Barred match with Triple H, Edge retained his title over Alberto Del Rio, and Randy Orton defeated CM Punk. A decent card, but nothing particularly memorable outside of the Undertaker-Triple H affair.
31. WrestleMania 13: Score 21 out of 40 (1 classic match)
Location: Chicago, IL
Date: March 23, 1997
Attendance: 18,197
Key Matches: Sycho Sid (WWF Champion) vs. The Undertaker; Bret Hart vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin (Submission Match); Triple H vs. Goldust
The first full Mania to be held in wrestling hotbed Chicago, WrestleMania 13 is largely remembered for one thing: The absolute masterpiece of a match between Hart and Austin, in which a double-turn was successfully achieved (Hart turned heel, Austin became a babyface). It also launched Austin to superstardom and was the true beginning of the “Austin Era.” The main event was poorly received, mainly to Sid’s work rate and the inevitability of a Taker win. The only other notable moment from the event was the Mania debut of a certain Rocky Maivia, who would soon become mega-star The Rock.
30. WrestleMania 7: Score 21.5 out of 40 (1 classic match)
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Date: March 24, 1991
Attendance: 16,158
Celebrities: Alex Trebek, Regis Philbin, Macaulay Culkin (audience)
Key Matches: Sgt. Slaughter (WWF champion) vs. Hulk Hogan; The Ultimate Warrior vs. “Macho King” Randy Savage (Retirement Match); The Undertaker vs. Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka; Jake “The Snake” Roberts vs. “The Model” Rick Martel (Blindfold Match)
Originally scheduled for the vastly larger L.A. Memorial Coliseum (home of the Los Angeles Raiders at the time), the event was moved to the much smaller L.A. Sports Arena for “security reasons” owing to the Gulf War. It is widely believed (although, denied by the WWE) that the real reason it was moved was due to slow ticket sales and an inability to fill much of the Coliseum. Perhaps this was due to a weak main event featuring champion Sgt. Slaughter against challenger Hulk Hogan. Fans just didn’t buy Slaughter, who had only returned to the company months earlier after a years-long layoff, as champ. The man he took the belt from, the incredibly popular Ultimate Warrior, easily had the match of the night (and arguably his career) against Savage. Following his loss, Savage was forced to retire but was reunited with his estranged manager/wife Elizabeth in a true WrestleMania moment.
29. WrestleMania 34: Score 22 out of 40
Location: New Orleans, LA
Date: April 8, 2018
Attendance: 78,133
Key Matches: Brock Lesnar (Universal Champion) vs. Roman Reigns (Main Event); AJ Styles (WWE Champion) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura; Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey vs. Triple H and Stephanie McMahon; Charlotte (Smackdown Women’s Champion) vs. Asuka; Miz (Intercontinental Champion) vs. Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor (Triple Threat Match); The Undertaker vs. John Cena (Unadvertised Match)
WrestleMania returned to The Big Easy for the second time in five years for a card that, on paper, looked pretty solid heading in, this one ended up coming off rather flat, thanks in large part to a main event that was not particularly well-received by the exhausted audience (most of whom were anticipating a Reigns win, only for Lesnar to prevail). The “impromptu” match between Cena and The Undertaker, a match fans had been clamoring for for several years, wound up being a quick two-minute squash by Taker and the Styles-Nakamura clash, although good, failed to live up to fans unreasonably high expectations. The high spots of the night were Rousey’s WWE debut in which Ronda performed above and beyond expectations and an excellent Charlotte versus Asuka match which ended Asuka’s nearly 500-day winning streak.
28. WrestleMania 8: Score 22 out of 40
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Date: April 5, 1992
Attendance: 62,167
Celebrities: Reba McEntire, Ray Combs
Key Matches: “Nature Boy” Ric Flair (WWF Champion) vs. “Macho Man” Randy Savage (First Main Event); Hulk Hogan vs. Sid Justice (Second Main Event); The Undertaker vs. Jake “The Snake” Roberts; “Rowdy” Roddy Piper (Intercontinental Champion) vs. Bret Hart
The WWF returned to a dome for the first time since WrestleMania 3 with what was billed as a “double main event.” In reality, this was done to get Hogan a main event slot, despite not competing for the company’s top prize. Although the Flair-Savage affair and the Intercontinental title bout between Piper and Hart were excellent matches, the show left a sour taste in fans’ mouths by closing with Hogan’s lame disqualification win over Sid Justice, salvaged only slightly by the surprise return of The Ultimate Warrior.
27. WrestleMania 15: Score 24 out of 40
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Date: March 28, 1999
Attendance: 19,514
Key Matches: The Rock (WWF Champion) vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin; Mankind vs. The Big Show; The Undertaker vs. The Big Boss Man (Hell in a Cell Match); Shane McMahon vs. X-Pac
In 1999, the WWF was red-hot and near the peak of the “Attitude Era.” The main event featured the company’s two top stars, champion The Rock and Steve Austin, in the first of what would be a WrestleMania trilogy of matches between the two. Unfortunately, although not a bad match, it was the least memorable of their three matches. The only other “highlights” of the show were an incredibly bad Hell in a Cell match between The Undertaker and The Big Boss Man, which ended with Boss Man being hanged, and the final match of the much-maligned “shoot” Brawl For All boxing tournament that saw the WWF’s Bart Gunn knocked out by special guest Butterbean, a rotund Toughman fighter-turned-boxer.
26. WrestleMania 22: Score 25 out of 40
Location: Chicago, IL
Date: April 2, 2006
Attendance: 17,159
Key Matches: John Cena (WWE Champion) vs. Triple H (Main Event); Kurt Angle (World Champion) vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton (Triple Threat Match); Edge vs. Mick Foley (Hardcore Match); Shawn Michaels vs. Mr. McMahon (No Hold Barred Match); The Undertaker vs. Mark Henry (Casket Match); Trish Stratus (Women’s Champion) vs. Mickie James; 2nd Money in the Bank Ladder Match (Mr. Kennedy wins)
Returning to Chicago for the first time in nine years, WrestleMania 22 was headlined by WWE Champion John Cena taking on Triple H. Although they were two of the company’s biggest stars at the time, the match doesn’t hold up to many of the other Mania main events through the years. The real highlights of the show were underdog Rey Mysterio winning the World Championship in a tribute to recently passed WWE fan favorite Eddie Guerrero and a pair of no disqualification matches featuring Shawn Michaels against Mr. McMahon and a killer Hardcore Match between Edge and Mick Foley that saw Edge spear Foley through a flaming table.
25. WrestleMania 16: Score 25 out of 40
Location: Anaheim, CA
Date: April 2, 2000
Attendance: 19,776
Celebrities: Ice-T, Pete Rose, Michael Clarke Duncan (audience), Macaulay and Kieran Culkin (audience)
Key Matches: Triple H (WWF Champion) vs. The Rock vs. Mick Foley vs. The Big Show (Fatal 4-Way Title Match, Main Event); The Dudley Boyz (WWF Tag Team Champions) vs. The Hardy Boyz vs. Edge & Christian (Triangle Ladder Match); Kurt Angle (European and Intercontinental Champion) vs. Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit (2-Fall Double Title Triple Threat Match); Hardcore Battle Royal
The first of three WrestleManias I attended, WrestleMania 2000 (also known as WrestleMania 16) returned to Anaheim for the second time in four years. The main event was billed as “A McMahon in Every Corner” and saw champion Triple H become the first heel to close out “The Show of Shows” with a victory, pinning The Rock last in the four-way elimination match. Although that match wasn’t particularly well received, WrestleMania 2000 did feature a ground-breaking Triangle Ladder Match and an excellent two-fall double title match between the Dudleys, Hardys, and Edge & Christian. Unfortunately, the show suffered from too many multi-person matches, no Austin (recovering from an injury), and The Undertaker missing only his second WrestleMania since his debut at WrestleMania 7.
24. WrestleMania 29: Score 25 out of 40
Location: East Rutherford, NJ
Date: April 7, 2013
Attendance: 80,676
Key Matches: The Rock (WWE Champion) vs. John Cena (Main Event); Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar (No Holds Barred Match); The Undertaker vs. CM Punk; Alberto Del Rio (World Champion) vs. Jack Swagger; The Shield vs. Randy Orton, Sheamus, and The Big Show
Although their first encounter the year before was billed as “Once in a Lifetime,” The Rock and John Cena were back at it again here at WrestleMania 29, this time with the WWE Championship on the line. The Rock prevailed at Mania 28, but it was Cena who won here in a match not quite up to the standard set by their epic first clash. This would also mark The Rock’s last true match in WWE (he would have a 6-second impromptu match at WrestleMania 32). Elsewhere, Triple H inexplicably pinned Brock Lesnar in a brutal No Holds Barred match, The Shield made their Mania debut, and The Undertaker notched what would be the final win in his legendary WrestleMania winning streak, defeating CM Punk.
23. WrestleMania 32: Score 25.5 out of 40 (1 classic match point)
Location: Dallas, TX
Date: April 3, 2016
Attendance: 101,763
Key Matches: Triple H (WWE World Champion) vs. Roman Reigns (Main Event); The Undertaker vs. Shane McMahon (Hell in a Cell Match); Charlotte (Divas Champion) vs. Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch (1st Women’s Championship Match); Chris Jericho vs. AJ Styles; Brock Lesnar vs. Dean Ambrose; Intercontinental Ladder Match (Zack Ryder wins)
Emanating from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the WWE broke their previous attendance record set at WrestleMania III with over 100 thousand fans in attendance. Two almost classic matches (hence the one classic match point) took place at the event: The Undertaker defeated Shane McMahon in a wild Hell in a Cell match and Charlotte became the first WWE Women’s Champion in a show-stealing Triple Threat match against Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch (pre-“The Man”), retiring the outdated Divas Championship in the process. Despite a strong start with the Intercontinental Ladder Match and AJ Styles’ Mania debut against Chris Jericho, the main event (capping a near 7-hour card) was met with much derision by the exhausted, record-breaking crowd.
That does it for Part 1 of our ranking. Stay tuned for Part 2, covering 22 through 11!
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